Barcelona's Raphinha ruled out El Clasico
Barcelona will not have suspeded head coach Hansi Flick in the dugout against Real Madrid for El Clasico, and Raphinha will also be missing on the pitch after a setback in his injury recovery.
Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Sorg confirmed that the Brazilian would play no part in the match, but noted there could be two injury boosts for the Blaugrana ahead of its visit to Santiago Bernabeu.
Flick was sent off during Barcelona's last-gasp win over Girona last weekend, meaning Sorg will take the German's place on the touchline for the match-up against Xabi Alonso's Madrid.
The teams are first and second in LaLiga, with Madrid sitting top of the pile, two points clear of Barcelona, which would leapfrog its rival with a victory.
Raphinha has been sidelined for the last month after suffering a hamstring injury against Real Oviedo, but Flick had been optimistic he would be back for the Clasico.
However, it was reported that the Brazilian had missed training on Friday, with Sorg confirming his absence during a pre-match press conference.
"Raphinha won't be available, but we have enough players," Sorg said.
When asked about the availability of Ferran Torres and Jules Kounde, who have returned to training, Sorg added: "We'll try to get Ferran on the pitch, but we'll decide [on Monday AEDT].
"Jules trained [on Saturday], and we have to wait and see how he reacts after training. We haven't decided on the starting eleven yet."
Barcelona has won its past four matches against Madrid in all competitions and has the chance to achieve five consecutive victories for only the second time in El Clasico history after those achieved between 2008 and 2010 under Pep Guardiola.
Victory would also make Flick one of only two managers to have won each of their first four games in Clasico history, also after Guardiola.
Sorg admitted Flick would be a huge miss in the dugout, but is confident Barcelona has what it takes to win in his absence.
"It's an honour for me to be on the bench," Sorg said. "It's a special occasion.
"It's a very difficult match, and it's important to showcase our strengths. We'll miss Flick; it's a disadvantage because he's so important. We're going to give 100 per cent.
"I think it's important that he [Flick] could be there because the players trust him, and he has influence."
